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Cuban design influenced the interior design of the property. The Cuban tile in the dining room is a rare example of this craft. The beautifully polished tiles on the loggias bring memories of another era. The colorful tiles uniquely set into the stairway risers were purchased by Mrs. Boyd in Europe. She had much of the furniture hand-crafted by Cuban craftsmen. Some of these pieces still remain today, some eighty years later.

Upon Mr. Boyd’s passing in 1948, his daughter Martha, and son-in law William Siekman inherited the estate. They continued to use the home as their winter residence until the late 1950’s when schooling responsibilities for their children made it impossible to spend their winters away and they thus began leasing the property to others.

Can you imagine their surprise in 1961 while flipping through Life magazine in their northern mansion in Appleton to see a picture of their Villa in Miami depicted (correctly) as the home in which the Bay of Pigs invasion was planned?

A host of colorful, if not a bit eccentric lessees have occupied the residence since then — from an architect who filled the courtyard with parrots, to dreamers like treasure hunter Mel Fisher. Guests have included the Village People, Mary Wilson of Supremes fame and Pavarotti. The walls are silent to the happenings in those days.